Please refer to the Students and Majors page for a complete breakdown of the majors available for co-op.

2) What is the total number of co-op rotations required under the semester system for each major?

The number of required co-ops a student must complete is determined by their major. Please refer the Program Requirements page for more information.

Note: Some students will stay with the same employer for all co-op semesters; others will request a job change. Students may request a job change after working two semesters with the same employer.

3) Are co-op students required to work a minimum number of hours per week?

Co-op is defined as a full-time work experience. The students are expected to work a full-time schedule per their employers’ hours for the full semester per the dates of the co-op calendar.

4) How can I find out a student’s current grade level and the year they will be graduating?

A student’s grade level and year they will be graduating is information that is listed on their resumes. You can ask the student directly or you can request this information from their UC ProPEL faculty advisor, who could also provide an unofficial transcript if needed.

5) Can we hire a student for only part of a semester or part-time?

No, co-op is a full-time position beginning and ending on the dates listed on the co-op calendar. For more information about specific dates, please refer to our Co-op Calendar & Deadlines page. If you have a need for a part-time student, we do offer an internship program option. Please visit http://www.uc.edu/propractice/intern.html for more information.

Please refer to the Co-op Salary page. This page discusses the average salary for each major.

8) How will school holidays or breaks impact the co-op schedule?

University observed holidays and breaks do not impact the co-op schedule. Students are to observe only those holidays and breaks that are observed by their employer while on co-op.

9) How do we handle housing and relocation if we are not local to UC? Will UC assist?

Transportation, relocation, and housing are the responsibility of the student, not the University, or employer, and must be handled in such a way as not to interfere with starting and completing a work assignment. However, many employers do offer students housing and relocation assistance. The assistance varies greatly from a stipend or reimbursement for relocation, to a monthly housing allowance, to providing actual housing. This is not required, but much appreciated by students and helpful to the employer as a recruiting incentive.

10) How do I post a job to available students?

Please go to www.uc.edu/PAL to create an account and post a position. This will only take a few minutes of your time. Once your position is approved, you’ll be notified when student resumes/portfolios are posted and ready to view.

11) How can we best actively recruit available co-op students?

Students can be recruited several ways. The best way is through our online system which allows all available co-op students to view current job openings. By providing a job description to the UC ProPEL faculty advisor, the description will get posted out to all available students. Many employers also like to hold information sessions to generate student interest, or attend on campus events such as career fairs. Please see the Recruiting Students page for more information.

12) When can we expect to receive prospective student resumes and/or portfolios for an upcoming semester?

Resumes and/or portfolios are typically sent to employers around the third week of the current semester for positions available in the upcoming semester. However, if you find a need for a student at any time, we will work with you to try to fill that need.

13) What is the best time to begin interviewing students?

The best time to interview students would be any time after the start of the fourth week of the semester proceeding the semester you would like the co-op student to begin working. For example, if you would like a student to work during the fall semester, you would want to interview for the position starting the fourth week of the summer semester. Interviewing may occur any time during the semester, but the earlier you interview, the larger the pool of available candidates.

14) If we are interested in multiple majors, who should we contact to begin reviewing and interviewing those students?

Certain UC ProPEL faculty advisors are responsible for certain majors, so it is important that you contact an advisor responsible for one of the majors you are interested in hiring. Any faculty advisor will share your need with the other responsible faculty advisors for the majors you are hiring.

15) What is the typical timeframe between receiving candidates’ portfolios/resumes and the candidates accepting a position?

The typical timeframe is dependent upon the employers’ hiring processes. Once an employer is given student portfolios/resumes, it is up to their discretion when they would like to interview the student(s). And once they have interviewed, it is again up to the employers’ hiring processes to determine when an offer is made. Students typically take no more than a week to accept or decline offers, once made.

16) When should student job offers be sent, and to whom?

Job offers can be sent directly to the student; however, please inform the UC ProPEL faculty advisor of your selection.

17) What is the deadline for hiring a co-op student for any particular semester?

Ideally, students should be hired by the last week of the semester prior to the one in which they will begin working. However, students can be hired into the second week of the semester in which they would work. For example, a student should be hired by the last week of the fall semester if they are to begin co-op with a company in the spring semester. However, a student can be hired into the second week of the spring semester, if a late need arises. The student will still receive credit for the experience if starting a week or two late.

18) What is the student evaluation process?

We ask each supervisor to assess student performance at the end of each co-op semester. We ask the employer to meet with the student to discuss their performance and complete the Employer Report, supplied by UC and administered online. The student's UC ProPEL Faculty Advisor reviews the employer ratings with the student and uses this form as a basis for counseling and advising the student regarding individual professional development. If a student receives a failing grade, the student may not receive recognition of a completed co-op semester.

A reminder to complete this form is emailed to the supervisor each semester by the UC ProPEL. It is noted that during the registration process, a student denotes his/her supervisor in the PAL system. The contact entered in this field is the individual who will be prompted to complete the Employer Report.

19) When must student evaluations be completed?

Student evaluations must be completed before the end of the co-op semester.

20) If I am experiencing issues with my co-op student, how should it be handled?

If you are experiencing problems with your co-op student you may handle it in the way in which your office would typically handle employee difficulties. However, please feel free to bring it to their faculty advisor's attention as well.

21) What do students expect when completing multiple co-op work experiences?

The student expects to receive orientation or training to get started on the job, and to become familiar with the position and the responsibilities that they will be expected to perform. They expect to be challenged by the position. As students progress in experience, they expect more difficult tasks and responsibilities.